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Allegiant flights snarled by computer system outage

It could be a slow go for customers flying on leisure carrier Allegiant this morning (July 18). The carrier's computer system is down, with the company apparently unable to bring it back online after taking

Allegiant flights snarled by computer system outage

An Allegiant Air jet flies past the Luxor Resort & Casino after taking off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas on May 9, 2013. While other U.S. airlines have struggled with the ups and downs of the economy and oil prices, tiny Allegiant Air has been profitable for 10 straight years. David Becker, AP

Allegiant Air Capt. Bret Whalen, left, discusses the flight plan with attendants Antron Johnson, center, and John Taylor before their flight to Laredo, Texas, at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. David Becker, AP

The outage – which began around 8:25 a .m. ET lasted until about 4 p.m. ET – forced Allegiant employees to manually check customers in for their flights. That dramatically affected the company's ability to stick to its flight schedule. The outage also disable Allegiant's website.

Allegiant says of the 250 Allegiant it was scheduled to operate today, eight have been cancelled and another 18 have been rescheduled to operate Saturday (July 19). Dozens of other Allegiant flights appeared to have been delayed today, likely affecting thousands of additional customers.

Unlike most U.S. carriers, Allegiant does not offer daily service on most of its routes. So, if a flight is canceled, it could be several days until the carrier's next scheduled flight, depending on the route.

Allegiant has apologized for the issue, and says it will provide compensation for affected fliers.

For customers who have been delayed overnight, Allegiant says it will provide:

- A full refund of the price of passengers' affected flight

- A $200 voucher, good for future travel on Allegiant

- Reimbursement for hotel accommodations for displaced passengers

For customers whose flights have been canceled, Allegiant says it will offer: